Arizona Dad Allegedly Throws Toddler Into Pool As Punishment

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A father who allegedly threw his 23-month-old daughter face first into a swimming pool in Phoenix to teach her a lesson was facing felony child abuse charges Tuesday.

Surveillance video showed a man tossing a toddler into a swimming in pool in Arizona. (Credit: KTVK via CNN)

Surveillance video of the late April incident showed a man staring down into a swimming pool before suddenly picking up a child and tossing her into the water.

The man, identified as Corey McCarthy, was apparently angry with his daughter Mia because she dropped a puppy into the pool, local television station KTVK reported.

Mia was pulled from the water by a woman who was standing nearby and saw the incident, the video showed.

Mia was taken to a hospital, but was not seriously hurt. The puppy Mia had dropped into the water died, according to KTVK.

McCarthy allegedly threw Mia into the pool to teach her a lesson about playing around water, the television station reported.

Mia’s mother, identified only as Samantha, was not around when the incident happened, but called police after seeing the video.

“I just screamed. I just screamed. I just screamed and a lot of thoughts started going through my head, because that’s not the man I know. I would have never thought… That’s not the man I know,” Samantha said in an interview with KTVK.

McCarthy has been charged with two counts of child abuse, KTVK reported.

Family members told the television station McCarthy had been in the infirmary after being beaten up in jail.